The state government’s planned property tax increases risk wiping the state off the global investment map, warns Chris Mountford,
executive director of Property Council Queensland.Kevin Farmer
THE state government’s planned property tax increases, due to come into effect on July 1, risk wiping the state off the global investment map.
As the government begins work on the State Budget, the Property Council is ramping up efforts to highlight the hidden effects of the tax hikes.
These tax hikes will increase the cost of doing business, damage Queensland’s economic competitiveness and impact on every Queenslander.
With Queensland preparing to leverage the Commonwealth Games to attract new investment opportunities, these tax increases couldn’t come at a worse time.
Election campaign costings, released in the days prior to the November 2017 state election, revealed the government’s intention to introduce new land tax thresholds for aggregated land holdings with an unimproved value above $10 million.
Individuals, companies and trusts who are within this new threshold will be subjected to a 25% increase in the rate of land tax from July 1.
The government has also committed to increasing the stamp duty surcharge on foreign buyers of residential property from 3% to 7%.
The end result of this decision will be higher business rents, higher costs for new homes and damage to Queensland’s reputation as an investment destination.
Businesses who lease premises from larger landlords can expect additional rental and occupancy costs.
New homebuyers can expect an additional $800-$1000 added to the cost of purchasing a new home.
We once were able to lure investment from interstate and overseas with attractive tax rates, but we now find ourselves uncompetitive with our southern neighbours.
The Property Council is calling for the government to abandon the tax increases and commit to review and modernise Queensland’s property tax framework.
Our current land tax thresholds haven’t been changed in a decade, leading to significant bracket creep as property values have increased dramatically.
We need a simpler, fairer and more attractive property tax system to unlock investment and create jobs.
An all-encompassing review of Queensland’s outdated thresholds and property tax rates needs to be undertaken to put Queensland back on the investment map.
Chris Mountford is executive director of Property Council Queensland.
Source: www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au